Toyota Launches the Etios Liva

Etios Liva - Q Class Hatch:Toyota Etios Liva isn't just a new hatch - it's the Q Class hatch. Born of the legendary Toyota quality. Packed with adventure and excitement. Loaded with sharp design features and stunning looks. It's a class above any hatchback you've experienced before. It is the luxury hatch of tomorrow - and it just drove into town today.

The new Toyota Etios Liva has been priced between Rs 3.99 - 5.99 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi), and will be available to customers in 5 trim variants including an optional package for the G variant.

The Etios Liva has a certain cuteness to it and despite the fact that it sports the same front end as the Etios sedan, the Liva looks more appealing owing to the rounded hatch at the back

There is no doubting Toyota’s strategy when it comes to the Etios sedan and the Liva.  Both cars have been designed simultaneously instead of just a hatch first and then sticking a boot on the back or vice versa. That clearly shows that the Etios LIVA is the same as its sedan version from the front and the inside. In fact, most people might not be able to differentiate between the two unless they view them from the rear. That said, the Liva does seem like a more complete package.

The press release for the Toyota Etios Liva says that the car’s front was designed to look like a happy face. Now, everyone’s favourite angry birds may or may not have been around when the car was penned, but there’s no denying that the two do look similar. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. It means that the Etios Liva has a certain cuteness to it and despite the fact that it sports the same front end as the Etios sedan, the Liva looks more appealing owing to the rounded hatch at the back. And that’s really where the magic of the Liva is.

The rear end design is simply a delight to behold. It makes the front end look complete moreover, something that the sedan could never manage. Two corner-mounted tail lights do the trick to give the Etios Liva not only a beautiful aura but also a very sporty stance. The car has a long wheelbase and pretty good ground clearance, but the overall design of the car helps camouflage both aspects extremely effectively from the outside so as not to appear jarring in any way.

If the exteriors are aggressive yet cute, the interiors live up to the car’s name beyond doubt. The complete set is a straight lift from the sedan which means it comes with the same vertically mounted central air conditioning vents and the chilled glovebox. The central instrument console is also carried over and we must say it does give the car a rather interesting dimension. The sporty theme is extended all the way from the seat fabric and the door trims to the steering wheel and the central dash layout. But then again, that was bound to happen considering that the Etios sedan was always a very nice car to be spending time in and the Liva’s insides are more or less an identical match.

Under the Etios Liva hood is a 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine. On paper, it isn't all that bad, 80PS @ 5600rpm and 104Nm @ 3100rpm. In fact these figures are pretty close to most of the competition and better than some as well

No matter how good the Toyota Etios Liva looks, the USP of the car is always going to be what’s under the hood. Considering Toyota has always delivered on that front no matter what segment we’re talking about, the Liva shouldn’t disappoint either. The car’s been debuted with a petrol engine and a diesel may be on the cards soon, but the Japanese aren’t telling us when. Regardless, here’s a look at what the Etios Liva comes charged with.

There was a lot of talk of the Liva getting the big 1.5-litre engine from the sedan. But anyone who knows the Indian market would know that the hatch would be looking to exploit the maximum benefit of the excise duty concessions that the Indian government has on offer for small cars. That means that under the Etios Liva hood is a 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine. On paper, it isn’t all that bad, 80PS @ 5600rpm and 104Nm @ 3100rpm. In fact these figures are pretty close to most of the competition and better than some as well. With the Liva’s approximately 900kg kerb weight, it should also make for a great power-to-weight ratio, to score high on performance. But somehow, that’s not the case because the Etios Liva’s brief seems to be rather straight forward – better efficiency. With the gear ratios matched to make life in the city easier, the car does feel peppy enough at low revs and accelerates cleanly off the line. But the excitement tapers off much too soon and you really need to work the engine to get to past 120km/h. Our instrumented tests did see the car cross the 150km/h mark but it took a lot of patience and even more stretches of empty roads to get there.

The 5-speed manual gearbox may be the culprit here with gear ratios more conducive for city driving rather than highway cruising. However that does have a rather positive effect on fuel efficiency. The ARAI certified stat reads 18.3kmpl cumulative but real world conditions should see you get about 14.3kmpl in the city and 16.1kmpl on the highway. Considering the prices of petrol today, that’s not a welcome proposition! All through the test, the Liva’s gearbox exuded a positive feel and slick shifts all the way to fifth. Predictably, the Liva didn’t scorch the acceleration runs, taking over 17 seconds to cross the 100km/h mark.